


million dollar question

by chiixil_84



Series: *Megalovania Intensifies* [1]
Category: Undertale, Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Adorable Papyrus (Undertale), Aged-Up Frisk (Undertale), Ambassador Frisk (Undertale), Bad Puns, Food as a Metaphor for Love, Gen, I'm Bad At Tagging, Multiverse, Nonbinary Frisk (Undertale), Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Parent Toriel (Undertale), Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route - "I want to stay with you.", Puns & Word Play, Reader Is Not Chara (Undertale), Reader Is Not Frisk (Undertale), Sans (Undertale) Makes Puns, Selectively Mute Frisk (Undertale), Skeleton Puns, Spoilers - Undertale Pacifist Route, Tags Are Hard, Tags May Change, Teacher Toriel (Undertale), Teenage Frisk (Undertale), Undertale Monsters on the Surface, Undertale Pacifist Route, pun, puns, undertale - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-26
Updated: 2019-09-26
Packaged: 2020-10-28 15:33:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20780906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chiixil_84/pseuds/chiixil_84
Summary: She met Sans a few weeks before, and, subsequently, the skeleton invited her over for a small get-together at his house as a way of apology for an accident he caused. With puns and amazing food, she looks across the table and sees something not unlike what her own family would've done, feeling right at home here in the little family they'd made for themselves.A question sits at the back of her mind for the lazy skeleton, though, and the first chance she gets him alone, she's gonna ask.--AKA, I literally heard the last time spoken in a dream and woke myself up laughing.





	million dollar question

**Author's Note:**

> Unnamed OC because who needs names? Just a she/her adult female. Frisk is a they/them in this, and also a teenager. It's been a few years since they've been out of the underground, so while Papyrus and Sans are totally chill doing whatever, Toriel busies herself with her job as a teacher and an educator at the local school and museum!
> 
> Hints to the greater multiverse, but nothing much else.
> 
> Not really sure where this was going; I just wanted to get this out.

Coming over to his house was not as world-ending as he’d made it out to be.

Sure, Toriel was willing to talk her into fact-oblivion, and Frisk was so charming despite their nonchalance to the entire situation, and Papyrus was constantly watching over all of his guests as if he were hosting a gala rather than a Saturday afternoon barbeque, but it all seemed so _normal_.

So suburban.

It wasn’t different than her own family get-togethers, and she was so quick to fall into place – she truly _felt _like she belonged here, anyway, only helping everything smooth over from their first awkward encounter – but out of them all, Sans looked so distant.

Yeah, he was smiling, but his eye-lights sometimes went hazy, and he often took a second longer than usual to shoot out his quips and puns that it made even Papyrus ask if he was alright.

With a wave, Sans would always shrug and say, “yeah, paps, i just can’t get over how you’re grillin’ me. i feel a little charred from your searing questions.”

Papyrus, with a flourish and a huff, left his brother to get more coleslaw. While Frisk fiddled with their phone, Toriel explained it was the perfect time to get her pie out of the fridge, so she quickly excused herself from the table. It left the newest guest alone with a skeleton and a distracted teenager.

Without an audience he’d known for most of his life, Sans seemed to collapse in on himself. He suddenly looked so _exhausted_, and though she couldn’t exactly understand why, she knew Sans always seemed to be in over his head with projects – so his tiredness could’ve come from _anything_.

At the end of their luncheon, she was grappling with nearly ten different giant containers full of Papyrus’s food and Toriel’s desserts, each with their own set of instructions for freezing and reheating for a later date. It would feed a small army, if she had the ability to conscript such a force, but nonetheless thanked them profusely and walked them to her car, barely able to see past the top of the stack in her arms.

After carefully putting the food in the backseat of her car, she skipped back up to the house to say her goodbyes. Again, she thanked Papyrus and Sans for the invite, but they brushed it off nonchalantly.

“WHY, IT WAS FUN!” Papyrus said, clapping his hands together. “THIS IS ALSO A GREAT WAY TO MEET THE NEWEST NEIGHBOR IN OUR EVER-GROWING SUBURB.”

“yeah, don’t make yerself a stranger,” Sans said with a tired wink. “it’d be a real shame for all of this hospitality to go to waste on a one-’que treat.” Papyrus flung his arm out as if to swipe at his older brother, but the skeleton dodged it with practiced ease, it was almost like a routine they’d performed hundreds of times.

“Well, anyway,” she said, giving Toriel her cell phone number and Frisk her SassyChat info. “I would _love _to hear more about your museum tour later, Toriel. I adore museums and exhibit displays – but hearing anything from you makes it a thousand times easier to understand.” As she spoke, she heard Papyrus and Sans whispering to each other in a language she couldn’t quite grasp, but tuned it out as soon as Toriel responded.

“Of course! I’ll send you the dates and times, and when I will be the one to guide the tours. We usually have a rotating schedule but,” Toriel gestured slightly, her eyes alight, “seeing as how this is a _monster-based _exhibit, the directors decided it would be best spoken about someone who experienced its history first-hand.”

Nodding sagely, she replied, “Oh, yeah, I can see that! But will it conflict with your teaching job?”

With a proud smile, Toriel said, “For the times I can’t be there, Frisk has volunteered to be the guide in my stead. They’ve learned much from the monsters over the last few years.” Giving her child a half-hug, she continued, “Not to mention, having the _monster ambassador _at the museum has prompted many pre-orders for tickets. We’re basically at full capacity every day we’re showing this exhibit.”

Eyes widening at the realization, she said, “No, way! That’s so awesome!” Mother and child took a moment to beam, the excitement and pride they held in their work clear. “I’m so happy for y’all.”

“Thank you,” Toriel said, humming softly. “There is no doubt in my mind that this will be a momentous occasion.”

“I bet,” she said, her eyes falling back on the brothers.

Frisk tugged on Toriel’s hand gently to get her attention, signing far too quickly for her to understand but Toriel understood immediately.

“Right. Well, then, Frisk does have an early day at the embassy tomorrow,” Toriel said, holding her arms out for a hug. “It was a pleasure meeting you.”

“And I of you, Toriel,” she said, giving the former queen a tight hug. “It isn’t every day you sit down with four of the most famous people in the world for a barbeque.”

The three watched as the former queen and ambassador walked down the steps and got into their car, driving away almost as quickly. She stood just before the two brothers, watching as the car drove off.

Turning to face them, she gave them her widest smile. Papyrus looked conflicted, and Sans seemed like he would fall asleep right where he stood.

Noticing her looking at them, however, Papyrus gave her an equally wide smile. If she didn’t know any better, she would’ve said it was forced.

“AGAIN, DO NOT MAKE YOURSELF A STRANGER!” Papyrus said. “WE HAVE PLENTY OF FOOD AND TALES TO REGALE OF OUR TIMES TOGETHER! AND APART! SO THERE IS NO NEED TO BE A LAZY BONES.” He gently elbowed toward his brother, who, yet again, dodged his half-hearted attack.

Rolling his eye-lights as he rounded back to her, she took Papyrus’s hands in her own and gently squeezed, meeting his eyes. “Of course, Papyrus. I’m honored y’all extended an invitation to me. I had _ such _ a great time.” She took one of her hands and carefully crossed it over her heart in an x, promising, “And _no _lazy- or funny-bones about it.”

When Papyrus smiled again, it felt more genuine. It was absolutely radiant, and made her heart melt at the sight.

“AT LEAST I HAVE ONE PERSON WHO I CAN COUNT ON WITH THAT PROMISE,” the tall skeleton grumbled. Sans offered a chuckle at his brother’s words, another shrug barely rising from the elder skeleton’s shoulders.

“what can i say, bro? i’m just ground down to the bone.”

Huffing and stamping one of his feet, Papyrus ran into the house, shouting back to his brother, “OH, NO, NOW THAT’S ENOUGH! YOU’VE SPOUTED ENOUGH ONE-LINERS TO FILL A B-RATED MOVIE SCRIPT, SO NO MORE RIBBING!”

Laughing as the door slammed shut behind him, both she and Sans stood watching the door a moment longer before they realized they were the only ones left.

“Well,” she said quietly, suddenly feeling her voice tighten. “Thanks, again.”

Sans’s head tilted slightly, almost like he was stuck in thought. “what can i say? it was a brew-tiful day, and a latte was on my mind.” She rolled her eyes, but he continued, “i can’t espresso how much i'm sorry.”

“You could buy me another one?” she threw out, not even thinking about it.

As if a window had just broken, the eye-lights in Sans’s sockets contracted for a fraction of a second before widening to their normal size. “that was a little strong,” he said, looking at her oddly. She offered a shrug, swallowing hard past the lump in her throat.

“Just a thought.” Looking away from him, she fought back the urge to excuse herself and subsequently jump off a bridge. Scrunching up her nose at her statement, she chastised herself, _God, you just met him. Laying it on a little thick, huh? _

When she turned her eyes back to him, he was still looking at her in that strange way. It made her feel scrutinized under a microscope. “I’ll get going,” she said, starting to make her way down the steps to her car. She vaguely gestured to her vehicle, adding, “Papyrus would probably kill me if I didn’t put that on ice.”

Before she could get very far, she felt his presence just a step behind her. She didn’t have to look to see him.

“he’d let you off the hook if you gave him a line,” Sans replied coolly. “he’s a pretty cool guy.”

“A sweetheart with a great sense of what works in the kitchen,” she agreed, nodding her head. “I don’t think I’ve ever eaten this well.” She caught Sans’s expression in her peripherals, and, despite the exhaustion on his face, he was proud.

“yeah.”

They made it to the bottom, the silence stretching between them as she popped herself in the driver’s seat.

After a moment, she stopped herself from putting the key in the ignition and instead rolled down the window. _Now or never,_ she thought, staring at the wide-eyed skeleton. “You said you were going to tell me something the next time we met,” she began slowly. “Something about –” She scrunched up her face again, trying to think back to his exact words. “– the statistics and metaphysics of a skeleton’s existence?”

Sans gave her a lopsided grin. “ya know the expression ‘one in a million’?”

She nodded, her brow still furled.

With a shrug and a wink, he said, “we’re the million.”


End file.
